Words by: Sarah Wolfson

Thanks to DJ Revolution, Los Angelenos have the opportunity to wake-up on the right side of the bed. Having worked with the longest standing hip-hop radio show, The Wake Up Show on Power 106, Rev has lent his DJ skills and musical ear to hip-hop heads over the years. Along with the releases of two successful albums, In 12’s We Trust and R2K, he has recently collaborated with some of hip-hop’s most underground and respected artists in his latest album, King of the Decks. 

After a discussion with Vapors, Rev revealed that industry folks could not sway his reverence towards hip-hop. He continues to gain inspiration from legendary kats such as KRS-One and drives at understanding the complex relationship between MCs and DJs. Revolution is not just about making beats, and playing the catchiest rhyme, he is about revolutionizing the way people relate to hip-hop.

Vapors: Did you ever imagine that you would turn your craft into a professional career?
Revolution: Yea, I imagined it would become professional, but I didn’t imagine how far I would have been able to ride the wave. I’m just amazed that I can do this for a living.

Vapors: How did you get into spinning hip-hop?
Revolution: I discovered hip-hop on a college radio station. I was introduced to electro stuff like Man Parrish and Newcleus and also “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.” That was the first time I heard scratching, mixing, and blending of records. From that point on, I was dedicated to hip-hop.

Vapors: When you moved to the West Coast and eventually began working with Sway and Tech on The Wake Up Show, how did you transition into the role of a radio DJ?
Revolution: It altered my perception of how I should be playing. There is a big difference between playing in a club, making mixed tapes and DJing on the radio. It wasn’t a tough transition, but it was difficult getting the formula down. You have to break new records, support new artists and make sure everyone’s new record gets a spin.

Vapors: Have you ever been pressured to play music that you don’t feel?
Revolution:  When I first got into the business, shit was crazy. I was offered money and trips to Hawaii. Record companies know that bribing is illegal, but they have loopholes. They know how to pad their budgets so that DJs get something for playing a record and unfortunately, DJs open the door. So, the cycle continues.

Vapors: How did you overcome those obstacles?
Revolution: There is no way of overcoming it. I see it like selling out your parents. Hip-hop raised me, educated me and gave me everything in my life. So, my dedication to it is not worth selling it out.

Vapors: How does The Wake Up Show stand apart from other radio hip-hop shows?
Revolution: The reason why The Wake Up Show has survived is because we have always fought for what we believed in and never bowed down and taken orders. That’s what sets us apart. At the same time, it has given us the opportunity to unify people and strengthen the hip-hop community.

Vapors: How do you see the hip-hop culture as a whole and its counterpart, turntablism evolving?
Revolution: Turntablism should be a part of the whole. If you are just a turntablist, all you have done is learn how to play an instrument, and have mastered the art of learning how to scratch, but that’s only part of the puzzle. That’s what I want to do with this album. I want to show people what a hip-hop DJ is and that the music is better when a DJ is well-rounded. Also, DJs are a big component in the formation of an album. The better hip-hop records that I’ve gotten in the past that haven’t achieved commercial success have been for the most part, average because they haven’t focused on the DJ/producer interaction. 

Vapors: Who are some artists that you have worked with that have been educational?
Revolution: I’ve learned from every artist so each time has been a lesson. I’m fortunate enough to have worked with intelligent people whose experience and knowledge has given me the proper guidance to make a beat and I love that. KRS, for example, has taught me a lot because his process in making a record was completely new to me. I’ve never seen an artist slang a record that way, from the beginning of writing it in front of me, to the end where he was in the booth alone, completing it.

Vapors: You have extended yourself, working with film and TV production. Is this something you will continue?
Revolution: I will definitely continue because it’s a very liberating process. I can take myself out of that hip-hop box and that 16 Bar verse and 8 Bar hook formula that is tired. I can explore and push my music ability and I don’t have to worry about what the hip-hop community is going to think. All I have to worry about is making music for that film, yet I can still bring that hip-hop element to it.

Vapors: What advise can you offer kids who are trying to get off the streets and make it in the industry as a DJ?
Revolution: It’s tough when you’ve had a lot of struggles and you’re trying to get away from things that are holding you down, but you have to visualize your goal. I was in the same situation and there were all kinds of shit keeping me down. The bottom line is you have to put all your energy into whatever it is you want to achieve. People have grown up in the worst environments and faced many adversities, yet have become successful. Those people are living proof that you can get what you want if you have a drive.